1
Topstep
Best all-round futures firmThe original futures combine: a single-step Trading Combine on a monthly subscription — $49/mo for the 50K on the Standard path (plus a $149 one-time activation per funded account), or a No Activation Fee path at $95/mo. The target is $3,000 on the 50K, with no deadline. The Maximum Loss Limit ($2,000 on the 50K) trails your end-of-day balance only and locks permanently once it reaches your starting balance — the most forgiving trailing model here. Pass, and the Express Funded Account pays 90/10 (minimum payout $125), with a genuine path onwards to a live, real-capital account.
⚠ Watch out: there is no mandatory daily loss limit in the Combine (it is a paid add-on), the 55% best-day consistency target raises your profit target if you exceed it rather than failing you, a funded account can be closed after 30+ days without trading — and the subscription keeps billing monthly until you pass or quit, so total cost depends on how long you take.
2
Apex Trader Funding
100% split — with stringsApex pays a 100% split on its EOD funded accounts, capped at 6 payouts per account and sells evaluations in 25K–150K sizes with low targets ($1,500 on the 25K) and no minimum trading days — you may pass in a single day. New accounts (since 1 March 2026) are one-time fees with no recurring billing, and the firm runs deep sales so often that its own pricing pages showed a 90%-off coupon when we checked. Choose the drawdown carefully: the EOD model recalculates once a day from your closing balance, while the Intraday model trails your peak balance in real time, including unrealised gains.
⚠ Watch out: a funded account pays a maximum of 6 payouts and then closes, with a $500 minimum payout; you must hold a Safety Net balance (drawdown + $100) for the account's whole life; per-request caps start as low as $1,000; a 50% best-day consistency rule gates payout requests; and the activity rule is strict — 2 days with at least $50 profit in every rolling 30 days, or the account closes and rewards are forfeited.
3
FundedNext Futures
Futures inside a CFD houseFundedNext's Futures Flex line puts futures evaluations inside the same account as its CFD programs — useful if you trade both. The 50K Flex was $74.99 on promo (list $141.99) when we checked on 23 October 2026. One honest note: our partner code PROPDIS (7% off CFD, up to 50% off Futures in our FundedNext test) is checkout-verified on FundedNext's CFD plans; we have not checkout-tested it on a Futures plan, so do not assume it applies there — check the total in their checkout.
⚠ Watch out: futures is the newer line next to FundedNext's CFD core, and its plan rules sit separately from the Stellar models our full review covers — read the Futures plan's own rules page before buying, not just the CFD review.
Side-by-Side
The three firms on the numbers that decide a futures evaluation: what you pay, how the drawdown hunts you, and what you keep.
Apex's one-time evaluation fees (list): Intraday Standard $167/$249/$790/$1,190 (25K/50K/100K/150K); Intraday No Activation Fee $690/$490/$590/$1,890; EOD Standard $490/$590/$1,190/$2,190; EOD No Activation Fee $1,090/$1,190/$1,590/$2,490. PA activation fees are not published (checkout only). A 90%-off promotion was running at our 23 Oct check — confirm the current price at checkout. Always confirm the fee for your size in the firm's checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest futures prop firm?
It depends how long you take. Topstep's 50K Combine is $49/month (plus $149 activation when you pass) — cheap if you pass in a month or two, less cheap if the subscription runs for six. Apex charges one-time fees for new accounts and discounts so aggressively (90%-off coupons appear on its own pages) that a sale price is often the lowest single payment. FundedNext's Futures Flex 50K was $74.99 on promo at our check. Compare the total you would pay over your realistic timeline, not the headline.
What does "trailing drawdown" actually mean?
Your loss limit follows your balance upward. At Topstep it recalculates from your end-of-day closing balance and locks at your starting balance once you are ahead. At Apex you choose: EOD (recalculated once daily at 4:59:59 PM ET) or Intraday, where the threshold follows your peak balance live — including profits you have not closed yet, which is far less forgiving. Neither Topstep nor Apex uses a simple static drawdown on its main evaluations.
Are futures prop firm accounts real money?
The evaluations and the first funded stage are simulated at all three firms — Topstep's Express Funded Account and Apex's PA accounts are simulated accounts that pay real money out as rewards. Topstep is the only one here with a documented next step: consistent funded traders can be called up to a Live Funded Account trading real capital.
How many funded accounts can I hold?
Topstep allows up to 5 Express Funded Accounts. Apex allows up to 20 PAs — counted per individual and household combined, across all account types. FundedNext's futures limits sit in its plan rules; check before stacking accounts.
